ENORMOUS ACCURL PRESS BRAKE BUILDS ON SUCCESS AT AYRSHIRE METALS

Ayrshire Metals Ltd, a leading manufacturer of cold-rolled sections for the construction
industry, has invested in a 14 m long, 640 ton ACCURL 6+1 axis tandem press brake from
Axe & Status. Featuring a wide range of advanced features, the new ACCURL press brake is
raising productivity, quality and traceability to new levels at this progressive and ambitious
manufacturing business.
The Ayrshire Group can trace its origins back to the 1800s, when it was largely a
manufacturer of ships on the west coast of Scotland. The company has come a long way
since then and is now a leading manufacturer of cold-rolled sections at its 6.5-acre owner-
occupied site in Daventry, Northamptonshire. The ISO9001 and CE/CA accredited company,
which also has a subsidiary sales and technical office in Munich, Germany, manufactures
most of its product range from S450 zinc-coated galvanised steel.
Five main product groups comprise the vast majority of manufacturing output. While
traditional business at Ayrshire Metals is purlins/rails, the company also manufactures
mezzanine floors, load-bearing steel framing systems and proprietary products like its
AyrFrame™ lightweight, high-strength modular system and SwagBeam™ portal frame
building system.
Until recently, Ayrshire Metals relied on a press brake that had been running since 1996.
With machine reliability levels falling, the company decided it was time to invest in a new
resource. Indeed, the new press brake is part of a five-year planned investment programme
at Ayrshire Metals.
“Rather than replace like-for-like, we wanted a slightly bigger press brake to provide more
capacity in both length and thickness,” explains managing director Scott Reilly. “We looked
at three potential suppliers, but the responsiveness of Axe & Status caught our attention.
Not only was their communication very clear from the outset, but Axe & Status also grasped
the urgency of our situation as it wasn’t economic to keep repairing our existing press brake.
Another major influence on our purchase decision was the value for money offered by the
ACCURL press brake against competitor machines.”
The ACCURL tandem CNC press brake from Axe & Status arrived in June 2024, with machine
operatives at Ayrshire Metals immediately commencing a programme of training.
“As you can image, the new ACCURL is very different to our existing 28-year-old press
brake,” says Reilly. “It’s akin to moving from a DOS operating system to Windows, such is
the contrast. We can now use the DELEM DA66T 2D graphical/3D visualisation touchscreen

control to draw the required profile at the press brake without having to create a program
manually. The difference is night and day.”
The ACCURL has also increased production capability at Ayrshire Metals. The company is
today able to bend lengths up to 14 m, compared with 12.6 m previously. In addition,
whereas its existing press brake is on the limit when bending metal at 3 mm thick, Ayrshire
Metals can now form sheet up to 4mm thick across material up to 14 m long. For shorter
lengths it is possible to bend much thicker material.
“We’re hoping this extra capability will allow us to access new markets. At the moment, we
focus solely on construction products for buildings, but starting from 2025 we want to
explore sectors outside of our traditional comfort zone.”
All products at Ayrshire Metals are made to order. The company holds no stock and there is
no minimum order.
Says Reilly: “While we make our high-running products on a rolling mill, the ACCURL gives us
the flexibility to manufacture bespoke items. Compared with our existing press brake, we
now enjoy more productivity and far greater reliability. Moreover, our uptime is 100%
compared with around 70% previously. Speed of response is vital in the construction sector
and we’ve seen a big boost in machine availability and OEE (overall equipment
effectiveness).”
Ayrshire Metals runs two shifts (day and night). Depending on workload, the company has
the option to run its ACCURL press brake around the clock if necessary.
“The construction market is very price-sensitive, both here in the UK and in mainland
Europe, where we export around 50% of production. There’s very little loyalty. So any
advantage in productivity and/or efficiency will help us remain competitive and potentially
improve our margin, which is vital for the future of the business.”
The 14 m, 640 ton ACCURL servo-hydraulic tandem press brake at Ayrshire Metals features a
throat depth of 750 mm and Y1, Y2, X, R, Z1 and Z2 axes. The company can switch quickly
between tandem or single-mode operation at any time, and transfer bending programs
between the two presses. Among many notable features is high dynamic Y-axis control for
over 30% higher productivity. Further features include LAZERSAFE light guard systems, Wila
crowning, quick-release clamping, a LAZERSAFE LZS-XL system with tandem adaptor system,
CE and CSA-certified LAZERSAFE-embedded IRIS block laser, and AP01-AP02 sheet followers.
Ayrshire Metals also has two licenses of ACCURL’s DELEM TL offline software, one at each of
its technical offices in the UK and Germany. The company can seamlessly send fully
simulated and tested data files between facilities. It is now implementing full networking in
support of direct file transfer to the press brake.
“Skills remain a big issue,” states Reilly. “A major advantage with our ACCURL press brake is
the ease of training operators. If you can draw a profile, you can program the machine. It
was a big selling point.”

Generating annual turnover in the region of £20m with 60 employees in the UK and a
further 20 in Germany, Ayrshire Metals wants to build on its success with further growth.
And the best way to meet this ambition is through investment.
“We’ve been around for many years and it’s easy to carry on as normal,” says Reilly.
“However, you sometimes need to take a step back and see what new manufacturing
technologies are available. It’s about improving our capabilities and efficiencies to provide
customers with the best value possible. With our ACCURL press brake we are more
productive, more accurate and have much better traceability. All of these factors benefit
our customers.”
With features such as the ACCURL Hybrid Servo ECO function and IE3 class high-efficiency
motor, the environment will also benefit.
“It’s too early to say, but we’re expecting a sizeable percentage reduction in energy
consumption. We’ve started our journey to net zero, so any carbon footprint reductions are
very welcome.”
ACCURL tandem press brakes from Axe & Status are available up to 6000 tons capacity and
24 m in length, with support from comprehensive warranty and service packages. A three-
year arrangement is in place with Ayrshire Metals, for example.
More information www.axestatus.com

Lathe chuck is lower, lighter and better

The ROTA-ML flex 2+2 four-jaw manual lathe chuck from Schunk has received a comprehensive facelift. The result is a lower, lighter and even more flexible product.

With the centrically compensating ROTA-ML flex 2+2, Schunk has had a low-maintenance manual lathe chuck in its portfolio since 2020. It allows almost all workpiece geometries – whether round, cubic or geometrically unshaped – to clamp precisely and efficiently on turn-mill centres. Its patented drive concept has a particularly large compensation stroke at 12 mm per jaw.

With a structural facelift starting from the 500 mm diameter model, the tool-holding and work-holding expert reduced the chuck’s height by up to 30%. This design change also reduces the chuck’s weight by up to 40%. The lower mass allows higher table rotation speeds, as well as the process-reliable machining of even larger and heavier workpieces. Users will discover that this revision increases the variety of applications available from a single chuck, while simultaneously enhancing machining efficiency.

The updated base plate of the chuck also supports more flexibility. Users can set-up ROTA-ML flex 2+2 lathe chucks quickly and easily on almost any machine table.

The lathe chuck continues to feature special seals on the guiding rails. The seals prevent grease wash-out and reduce the gradual loss of clamping force. Users therefore enjoy precise functioning of the lathe chuck, even when applying low clamping forces. A patented sealing concept protects the drive kinematics against dust and chips, thereby enhancing process reliability and extending maintenance intervals. Moreover, an indicator pin at each jaw signals the optimal clamping range for secure workpiece clamping.

Schunk offers the flexible manual lathe chuck in eight sizes, ranging from diameters of 260 to 1200 mm.

More information www.schunk.com

Mandrel clamp boosts productivity by 20%

Taichung-based Hota Industrial, the largest manufacturer of drive components in Taiwan, is now using the Mando G211 mandrel from Hainbuch for producing transmission parts for electric cars. Made from low-alloy case-hardening steel at a monthly production volume of 20,000 units, the parts place high demands on both machines and tools. However, Hainbuch was able to meet Hota’s requirements, delivering in a 20% increase in productivity.

Hota and Hainbuch began collaborating in May 2021. The gear manufacturer planned to change the clamping configuration for all process steps before hardening in order to achieve higher process reliability and production quality. Drive gear manufacturing takes place on a Hartech HGH-250 gear hobbing machine. Previously, Hota used collets in the production of its helical drive gears.

“For our manufacturing process, the collets did not meet the requirements for concentricity and repeatability,” says Alex Chao, deputy head of design at Hota Industrial.

The selected Mando G211 mandrel clamps workpieces radially with pull-back effect. Depending on the mandrel size, the radial clamping force of the mandrel is 42 to 150 kN. This extremely rigid ID clamping provides the required accuracy. Integrated flushing channels keep the clamping device free of chips. Importantly, the improved process reduces the machining time per part, while simultaneously increasing tool service life.

Selecting the right work-holding technology has significantly improved the entire production process.

“We are very satisfied with the service and advice provided by the Hainbuch employees,” confirms Chao. The Mando G211 mandrel impressed with its stability, service life and good price-performance ratio. Moving forward, Hota plans to introduce the Hainbuch Mando G211 as an option for all new machines.

More information www.hainbuch.com

40% faster inspection time with rotary table

RPI UK, a specialist developer and manufacturer of precision positioning devices for high-accuracy rotary and angular inspection systems, has supplied Wenzel’s Bulgarian distributer with a QuadSlimLine rotary table. The rotary table will integrate into a Wenzel CMM, enabling a European aerospace giant to measure aero engine disks up to 40% faster.

RPI’s rotary tables are a good addition to high-precision CMMs. Specifically designed as a fourth axis, the rotary tables are accurate to ±0.5 arc-seconds: equivalent to hitting a golf ball at a hole located more than 22 km away and scoring a hole-in-one every time. As well as significantly improving overall CMM measurement accuracy and reducing uncertainty, rotary tables greatly increase the available measuring volume, providing greater flexibility in what users can measure. 

“When it comes to measuring symmetrical or prismatic components, it’s all about simplifying your measuring procedures, increasing your CMM’s application range and effective measuring volume,” explains RPI’s sales manager Jim Palmer. “In turn, this will increase the flexibility, productivity and efficiency of your CMM.”

The installation of the QuadSlimLine on to the Wenzel CMM was carried out by 2M Trading, the Bulgarian distributor for both RPI and Wenzel.

Timothy Matyushin, 2M’s general manager, says: “We installed RPI’s Quad Slimline on to Wenzel’s CMM LH108 NG, which incorporates a Renishaw UCC S5 controller and Renishaw Modus software. The result is a CMM that works smarter with increased flexibility, capacity and throughput, ultimately delivering a 40% reduction in inspection time for one of Europe’s major aerospace manufacturers. The customer is so impressed, they’ve ordered another two QuadSlimLine rotary tables for installation to CMMs before the end of the year.”

More information www.rpiuk.com

New lightweight angle heads available in UK

Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) has introduced two new lightweight angle heads from Big Kaiser to the UK market. One is a small bore version suitable for tools with a diameter from 0.25 to 6 mm, while the second features optimisation for high-torque tapping. The new models complement existing devices tailored to general machining applications.

Incorporating a Big Kaiser angle head from ITC allows UK manufacturers to extend their existing machine’s capabilities without the cost of new equipment. The heads facilitate vertical, horizontal and angular operations without the need to reposition the workpiece, increasing accuracy and productivity. The enhancement not only saves machining time, but also accelerates production workflow.

Weighing less than 2 kg, the angle heads are part of Big Kaiser’s compact series that is exclusively available in the UK from ITC. Reduced weight makes them compatible with the automatic tool changers (ATC) of small dynamic machines, such as those from FANUC and Brother. The lighter weight also enables the ATC to operate more swiftly, reducing tool-change times and shortening overall cycles. This capability enhances productivity while placing less stress on the machine spindle.

Designed specifically for BBT30 machine spindles, the line-up includes three variants tailored for general machining, high-torque tapping and small bore applications. The angle heads feature a compact design that minimises overhang, enhancing both rigidity and strength. A non-contact seal offers protection against coolant and particulate contamination. Additionally, a proprietary coolant jacket directs coolant to the cutting edge while simultaneously cooling the angle head, which also helps to reduce noise and vibration.

More information www.itc-ltd.co.uk